What is it about?
Coronaviruses use spike proteins to enter cells. This study shows these spikes can change shape, helping the viruses adapt to new hosts, including whales and dolphins. Understanding this flexibility may help predict and prevent future cross-species infections.
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Photo by Mendar Bouchali on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Understanding how coronaviruses adapt to new hosts is important to prevent future outbreaks. This study shows that their spike proteins are flexible, allowing the virus to infect different species, including marine mammals. By learning how this process works, scientists can better predict which viruses might jump between species and take steps to monitor or reduce these risks.
Perspectives
The COVID-19 pandemic has made coronaviruses widely recognized and driven extensive research on SARS-CoV-2. In contrast, coronaviruses found only in animals remain understudied, despite their importance for understanding how viruses move between species. Our work on coronaviruses in whales and dolphins shows how gammacoronaviruses, usually found in birds, can colonise and adapt to infect marine mammals.
Dr. Daniel L. Hurdiss
Universiteit Utrecht
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Cetacean coronavirus spikes highlight S glycoprotein structural plasticity, PLoS Pathogens, April 2026, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1013855.
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